Judge Says Phil Ivey Violated Gambling Rules

U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman is no fan of advantage players on the gambling tables of Atlantic City.

In a hearing this week the judge ruled that poker legend Phil Ivey and a friend were in violation of New Jersey gambling rules when they went on an epic $10 million baccarat run back in 2012.

That said, the judge also ruled that the two men did not commit fraud, as was alleged by the Borgata Casino.

What both sides agree on, according to the Las Vegas Sun, is that Ivey and his partner Cheng Yin Sun memorized imperfections on the cards used in the baccarat room where they the advanced the art of advantage play.

In his ruling, Judge Hillman said that the pair did violate the New Jersey Casino Control Act when they convinced a Borgata baccarat dealer to continue using the same deck of cards the entire time the men played. That act, in Hillman’s view, is what shifted the odds in favor of the players and was the real violation of the law.

But Judge Hillman acknowledged that the trust they violated is a very fluid entity in the moral universe of a casino saying:

Borgata and Ivey had the same goal when they entered into their arrangement: to profit at the other’s expense. Trust is a misplaced sentiment in this context.

Before his Borgata baccarat bash, Ivey used a similar technique to win approximately $12 million from Crockford’s casino London. That case is also currently under litigation.